French Cooking for Bastille Day with Melissa Clark

Bastille Day fireworks explode over the Seine river next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris Monday night, July 14, 2014.

New York Times food columnist and cookbook author Melissa Clark joins us to discuss French recipes and techniques in honor of Bastille Day. She's the author of over 40 cookbooks including Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France.

Here's Melissa Clark's French Yogurt Cake recipe:

French Yogurt Cake with Cherries
Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

1 2/3 cups/ 208 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups/ 266 grams granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 cup grapeseed or safflower oil
2 large eggs
1 cup pitted cherries

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, and eggs. Scrape into flour mixture and whisk just to combine. Fold in cherries.
3. Transfer to loaf pan and bake until golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan, then run a thin spatula around the edges; invert onto a plate and slice to serve.